Massive brand Chardonnays still deliver balance and refreshment

American wine critic Matt Kramer is worried about the modern state of Chardonnay. Speaking at last weekend’s International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration in Niagara, the bestselling author and Wine Spectator columnist said he wondered if the grape variety being celebrated even existed.

“In today’s world, there really almost isn’t any Chardonnay,” Kramer explained during his keynote address at the School of Cool seminar that launched three days of tasting and exploring Chardonnays from Canada and cooler wine regions in Chile, France, South Africa and the United States.

Kramer said that since Chardonnay was grown in virtually every wine region in the world and in every type of climate, it had become so commoditized that it was effectively exchangeable. All that mattered to commercial operations was the ability to put the word Chardonnay on their label to effectively market their wine.

“At this point,” he said, “Chardonnay is really a single-word way of asking for a glass of white wine in a bar. Which is a challenge for those of you here, for anybody anywhere, trying to grow Chardonnay [and] create Chardonnay that actually is Chardonnay.”

Warming up to the topic at hand, Kramer said he believes that all Chardonnay produced in the world could be classified into two camps. “There are Chardonnays of Cosmetics and Chardonnays of Consequence,” he said to a crowd that included a large number of winemakers and winemaking students from Niagara. “And, which one you choose to make is very much a factor of where you’re growing that Chardonnay and then very much a factor of you. You have a choice.”

The cosmetic nature of Chardonnay comes from the fact that winemakers have so many options available to them during its production. They can ferment their wines in stainless steel tanks to preserve the fruity character or in oak barrels that can impart different levels of spice, toast and vanilla notes depending on the origin of the wood used and the way that the barrel was fashioned.

Chardonnay producers routinely employ winemaking techniques that aren’t used when making Pinot Grigio, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. “When you go down the list of white wines, none of them see the amount of cosmetics that Chardonnay regularly, universally has applied to it,” Kramer explained.

“A Chardonnay of Consequence is a tremendous privilege. Chardonnays of Consequence are rare,” said Kramer. “Cosmetics are cheaper, easier.”

One point overlooked by Kramer was how Chardonnays of Cosmetics have improved over the years to become more refined and focused. Our two wines of the week are massive brands that still deliver balance and refreshment in the glass, which makes them of interest.

Bin 65 was created for the Canadian market in 1985 and has since evolved with the changing face of Australian Chardonnay. The mix of ripe fruit, subtle spice and a clean, smooth texture makes this easy to appreciate. But the clean sweep of acidity on the fresh finish keeps all of the components in line.

Coming from one of California’s oldest wineries and one of its cooler regions, Morning Fog Chardonnay offers a ripe core of fruit with a fresh, crisp character. The concentration and smooth texture gives it mass appeal and the lingering spiced apple flavour on the finish leaves a lasting impression.

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